Aston Martin Lagonda has opened its new manufacturing facility at St Athan in Wales. The new site will form the home of the brand’s first SUV, the DBX. When full production begins, the company will have created up to 600 jobs, rising to 750 at peak production.
Equipped with a twin-turbo V8 engine, the Aston Martin DBX will go into full production in the second quarter of 2020. The British marque’s SUV has been through an intensive development process, which began in the forests of Wales.
Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin Lagonda president and group CEO, said, “St Athan is a critical step in delivering our new car, DBX, which will be built in the new facility. The opening of St Athan is a hugely important milestone in the company’s growth plan and integral to our ambitions as a global luxury brand with a presence in all major sectors of the market.”
In 2016, Aston Martin Lagonda chose the 36,400ft site to be its newest center of manufacturing excellence in the UK. Phase I of construction began in late 2016 and the final phase to fit out the three super-hangars got underway in late 2018, ready for pre-production to commence in 2019.